


A Sea of Fire

by Jakeun_Kangajii



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, Demon Summoning, Everyone is what their Persona was, Gen, Ryuji is a pirate and Futaba is a sentient book, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, you get the gist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2020-12-16 23:28:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21044555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jakeun_Kangajii/pseuds/Jakeun_Kangajii
Summary: The kingdom is corrupted, the king makes merry while his subjects suffer, and a young man loses all he held dear due to one small mistake. It's a good thing he's not one to just accept his fate.





	1. Shipped

A sea of fire.  
The sky blackened.  
The screams of the corrupt, the unjust, the wicked filling the air.  
And he stood proud, companions by his side as they reveled in the hell they raised.

A man with fluffy black hair woke with a gasp, hitting his head against a support beam of his holding cell. Rubbing his head, he thought of his dream, and the worrying implications it had. Especially because he’s on a ship to a penal colony. Thank god he didn’t get seasick. It did suck that his head hurt though...

Well, it’s not like he had to get out of bed. The crew usually just tossed in a tray of some garbage meal for him to eat whenever he felt like poisoning himself and he’d just toss it right back when he finished. They never talked to him, even when he initiated, so he just stopped caring. Clearly, they wanted nothing to do with him.

That being said, the usual slop of the day wasn’t there. Actually, there seemed to be a commotion above deck. Well, nothing he can do locked in here, but this was the most interesting event the whole 3 days they’ve been at sea. And was that cannon fire OH SHIT-

BOOOM.

Then all was quiet. On the bright side, it seemed like the prisoner’s cell wasn’t hit. Actually, it’s quite possible the ship wasn’t hit at all. The noise started up again, but this time it seemed like someone was climbing down the stairs. With some effort, he got out of bed to take a better look. 

Oh shit, there were pirates now. Fantastic. They came down, some going lower, some remaining on the upper deck, and two choosing to explore this part of the ship. They seemed to have not noticed he was there. 

“Ahoy there!” The prisoner shouted. This startled the pirates and they all turned to look at him. He gave a friendly wave. “Were you the ones causing all that noise earlier? You woke me up from a nice nap, you did.” 

The first pirate, a heavy-set, muscular man, spoke first. “The fuck? Din say anythin’ ‘bout a man here. Cheeky bastards.” 

A second pirate, far skinnier and probably in need of a bath, spoke next. “He’s in a cell. Can’t be a crew member. Must’ve dun somethin’ to piss a noble off.” The two pirates conversed quietly enough that the prisoner couldn’t quite make out what they said, but they seemed to have come into an agreement. 

“Um-”

“Just wait there. We’ll get the captain.” The two of them went off, leaving him to just stand there wondering what they have planned for him. It didn’t take long for them to come back, a third pirate, presumably the captain, having joined them. 

The captain was one of the companions from his dream. A well built young man with short, spiky black hair. Although, in the dream it was bleached. 

“Wassup?” the captain asked, taking this time to study the prisoner from the safety of the other side of the cell door. 

“Oh not much. Languishing away on my trip to what may be actual Hell. You?” 

The captain seemed pleased. “I like this one. Whatcha in there for?” 

“Officially, punching the king in the face.” 

“For real!? How’re you still kickin’!?” 

“Bribery.”

“Ah.”

“I don’t think I did anything wrong though. Mind letting me out?” 

“What do I get outta this?”

The man thought for a bit. “A… lifelong friend?”

The captain thought for a bit. “Well, it’s not like we’re not criminals anyways. Sure.” With keys he snatched from the guard, the captain unlocked the door and opened. “You’re welcome.”

“Thank you kindly. What is your name anyway?” The prisoner asked, walking out to enjoy his freedom. 

The skinny pirate spoke up. “You’ve never heard of Captain Skull!? The most fearsome pirate on the 7 seas!?” 

“Nope.”

Captain Skull, as he’s so named, laughed. “I really, really like you. Tell me, what are you planning on doing now?” 

That’s a very good question the ex-prisoner didn’t think the answer to. 

“No clue huh? You could always join my crew.”

The man took a look at the other two pirates who were eyeing him. “I think I’d get eaten alive. I’d rather just set up shop back home. Under a new alias of course.”

“Shop? You a shopkeeper?”

“The son of a merchant actually. Was gonna go to big places before the biggest fuck-up of my life.”

“Story of my life.” Skull chuckled. “Alright, bigshot merchant boy. We were plannin’ on headin’ back after this heist anyways. You worried someone’s gonna recognize you though?” Shit, um…

“Steal some glasses and hope for the best?”

“There’s a lotta hopin’ with you.”

“It’s all I got.”

“Right then. Come on up, we’ll get you home. What’s your name anyway? Or actually, how about your new alias name. Think of that right now.”

This guy is clearly a pro. “Um, Akira Kurusu?” 

“Niiiice. Good meetin’ ya. You gonna keep your promise of us bein’ friends, riiiiight?”

“Of course. I don’t break promises.”

Skull gave him a look. “Really?” 

“I mean it.” 

Akira’s eyes, gray as a storm and sincere as the dawn, met Skull’s earth-colored ones. A silent agreement formed between them.

“Then we’re friends now. Nice to meet you, Akira.” Skull offered his hand.

Akira accepted.


	2. Contract

The journey back home was uneventful for the most part. Honestly, the biggest crisis that happened was the worst hangover Akira ever experienced (the pirates stole all the booze from the first ship he was on), followed by a vow to never drink anything alcoholic again. Captain Skull just laughed at his misery and told him it’d just take some getting used to.

It wasn’t obvious what being friends with an actual pirate captain is like, but Skull just seemed to be an ordinary man. He kept his true name a secret, of course, but aside from that, just a friendly guy anyone could get along with. Very loud, very crass, and very brash, but the kind of person who would be ride or die for you. The other pirates made sure to let him know that this is only because Akira interested him in some way, that he’d be dead if he wasn’t, but Akira wondered how much of that was just hearsay.

“So what led you to punch the king in the face?” Skull had asked, downing another ale.

Akira being drunk at the time, took a moment to remember. “S-Shomething ‘bout… a woman? Thought he wuz just… a typical thug… wanted to play hero…”

“Oh shit. And you still wanna go back??”

“I have… my reashons... “ And that was the last thing Akira remembered before blacking out that night.

The day they finally arrived at port, Skull gave Akira a heavy pat on the back and some glasses for a disguise. “I have no idea what you’re planning on doing, but it sounds like fun! My place is on the sea, or else I’d join ya,” he chuckled. 

“I very much appreciate your support, Captain. Thank you for everything.” Akira put the glasses on, noticing that his vision didn’t change much at all. The poor sap who owned these before got conned hard, it seems like. 

“Hey, if you need a place to stay, I heard there’s some abandoned manor or something out in the western hills. It’s probably haunted but that just means no one else will bother going there.” 

“You are far too generous Captain. Really, just being your friend can’t be enough to thank you for this.” 

“I’ll just put it on your tab.” Skull gave a serious look before breaking down laughing. “Seriously, you entertained me well enough. I wanna see where you go from here. Good luck, friend.”

“And you too.” They shook hands and gave a look of solidarity before Skull went back on his boat and Akira took off towards the hills. 

Somehow, no one really paid much heed to him despite his uncanny resemblance to a certain criminal that punched the actual fucking king in the face. Amazing, the power these glasses had. He walked on, sneaking through the woods where robbers would make their hangouts, past the mines where the more unfortunate citizens were put to work. The ones who saw him kept their heads down and said nothing. But for a moment, Akira saw their eyes. Despair. Pain. Hatred. 

Akira couldn’t do a thing for them at that moment, but he vowed that someday, he would. 

It was late at night when Akira finally reached the manor, and truth be told, it was just barely standing. The roof was mostly still there, thank goodness, but the wood was rotting, dust was everywhere, and it seemed the only thing capable of living there were mold and probably a few bugs. The perfect place to hide out for a while really. It’ll give him time to think of a plan. 

Plus, old abandoned houses like this are fun to explore.

Lantern in hand, Akira looked around the dilapidated building. Surprisingly, there weren’t any rats here. Maybe there wasn’t enough food for them? At least he didn’t have to worry about that. Sure the place was spooky, but he wouldn’t say it was haunted. 

And then he entered the library when he heard the sound of something fragile (ceramic maybe?) breaking. He’s pretty sure he didn’t knock anything down. 

“Who’s there?!” Unfortunately, his lantern wasn’t the best at lighting an area farther away. Someone should make a device for that. Cautiously, he entered and looked around. 

A flash of movement caught his eye. “There you are!” and he shone his light onto…

A cat.

It was just a little black cat with blue eyes. A black cat with a white muzzle, little white socks, a white-tipped tail, and the cutest little expression of some little miscreant who got caught. 

It took about 5 minutes of them just staring at each other before Akira chuckled to himself. “So you’re the one behind the hauntings, aren’t you? I should thank you for that.”

The cat, of course, didn’t reply because it’s a fucking cat. It did look very done with all this though.

“Did you belong to the previous owner? No, you’d have a collar… Well, I suppose I’m glad to have you around. Mind letting me stay here for a bit?” Why was he talking to the cat? It’s not like it could answer him.

To no one’s surprise, the cat just scampered off. Having nothing better to do, Akira scanned the shelves for possibly interesting books. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t seem like there was anything of use. All history or religion, some science but they were sorely outdated. Akira felt let down really. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but maybe something more… zesty? 

And then the cat knocked down a book from the top of the shelf, startling Akira again. “JEEZ CAT CAN YOU NOT DO THAT WHILE I’M HOLDING SOMETHING THAT COULD SET SHIT ON FIRE!?”

“Mrow,” replied the cat, very pleased with itself for some reason.

Akira sighed and went to look at the book the cat deemed worthy of knocking to the ground. It had no title, just a black cover with some kind of pattern on it- ohhh. A magic book. Those were said to have been rounded up and burned a long time ago by order of the Church. It’s a miracle this one is still around. This was exactly what he was looking for. And as he had nothing better to do, he opted to read through it.

It seemed this book specialized in summoning various demons for various tasks. A lot of them actually seemed beneficial. He had to wonder why the Church was so against them. There was a demon that was said to help women give painless births! What’s so wrong about that?! 

As he flipped through the pages, there was one demon that stood out to him more than the others. The demon of twilight said to be the harbinger of chaos. A strong sense of justice but an eagerness to go wild. When controlled, it could grant the summoner’s wishes so long as it was to bring justice, no matter how severe it was. 

Akira had a wish. Quite a few of them actually. They all had to do with bringing justice. He used to be one of the Church members but they sure as hell fucked him over since they’re so busy kissing the king’s ass. No reason to stay with them any longer. 

The ritual for summoning the demon was… probably not meant to be easy, but Akira was well educated and had no fucks left to give. A magic circle drawn in dust, followed by a blood sacrifice (courtesy of himself and some sharp piece of wood, he wasn’t going to kill the cat!), and then the words.

“Come to me, demon of twilight! With my blood and my soul, grant my wish and see to my enemies despair!”

A moment of silence. 

“.... Um, hello?”

WHOOOOOOOSH  
“OH SHIT-” The circle was suddenly a pillar of blue flame, lighting up the whole library with its hellish light. Emerging first from the flames were two wings as dark as a moonless night. Following them were the demon’s arms, red as the setting sun and ending in claws sharper than a sword. Next were the legs, also red- oh god this demon was wearing a suit. An actual fancy suit. With a cravat. And those were some incredible high heeled boots. Finally, the head emerged. It looked more of a mask, with eyes and mouth of fire and there was a fucking top hat. 

Akira could only gape at the demon. It certainly wasn’t what he expected. It was horrific. It was beautiful. It could absolutely destroy him and he would probably thank it for that.

The demon spoke and it was his voice. “Why have you summoned me here, mortal? Far too long it has been since one of your kind brought us here.”

“Um, it was kinda in the chanting thing. Some people fucked me over and I wish to pay them back in kind.”

The demon looked thoughtful. “What do you give me in turn? For us to have a contract, you must pay a price.” 

“Do you accept dead names?”

“Excuse me?”

“My dead name. The old me was killed during a pirate attack so I have a new name now.”

“That’s... “

“If you work with me, I promise you it’ll be very fun.”

The demon just looked at Akira. Akira, for having been startled and in fear before, stood to face him. Damn, this demon is really tall.

“Normally people would offer me their souls or some relative or heirloom or something. Not… a name and the chance of entertainment.”

“Is… that a no go then?”

“OF COURSE NOT FOOL!” The fire flared as the demon shouted. “A name? I can truly take your name?” 

“It’s a dead one you know.” 

“Oh, you have no idea what you just wrought upon yourself, human.” The demon chuckled. “You see, there is a hidden contract all demons have. We don’t have names ourselves, only descriptions. To give us your name, even a former identity, is enough to earn our freedom and truly raise Hell. In turn, we will aid in whatever it is your heart desires. I accept your offer, mortal. Tell me the name which you are giving to me.”

Akira knew that as soon as he gave his old name, there would be no turning back. “Arsene. I give you the name Arsene, pillager of twilight.”

The newly christened Arsene chuckled. “Catchy. With this, the contract is sealed. I am thou. Thou art I. Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice! Call upon my name, and release thy rage! Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!”

Arsene grabbed Akira’s head, and a wave of pain crashed into his very soul.

Akira could only scream as the fire engulfed him, and then he collapsed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please let me know what you think and if there are any improvements I can make!


	3. Negotiation

“...ey…”

A voice? Akira’s head was throbbing, but he could hear someone. A boy?

“Hey…”

There it was again. It seemed to be very nearby.

“Get up already!”

With a groan, Akira got up, holding his head in pain as the throbbing slowly died down. That’s right… he was in a library, he just made a contract with a demon and now…

“About time you got up. Sheesh, I don’t recall being out for that long.”

Akira looked around. The only sign of life around was the cat, just staring at him looking so very done with this.

“Yeah, I’m the one talking here.” Oh. The cat is talking. Akira took a moment to process this information.

“How?” he asked, somehow managing to not freak out. 

The cat huffed. “Just like you made a contract, I did too, a long time ago. I used to be human, you know?” 

That explained…. nothing at all. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Ever since I was forced into this body, the only people who could understand me are those who also contracted with demons.” 

“The fact that you know this means you’ve met other people? Isn’t it illegal?”

“It’s illegal, sure, but that didn’t stop you, did it?” The cat started wiping his face. “Anyways, you’ve heard the legend of Zorro, right? The great vigilante who was never caught?”

“Oh yeah, I’ve heard of him- Was that you!?” Oh god, that was one of his heroes when he was a kid, and here he was! As a fucking cat!

“Zorro’s no longer my name. It belongs to the demon I contracted with. How do you think I managed to not get caught for so long?”

“You turned into a cat.”

“That was a consequence of a different contract I made.” The cat formerly known as Zorro looked away, clearly a painful memory.

“Okay then.”

Awkward silence rang between the two of them. 

Akira chose to break it first. “So, why did you show me that book? And why are you deciding to talk to me now? And what should I call you anyways if you’re no longer Zorro?”

The cat sighed. “Call me Morgana. I figured you were the kind of guy desperate enough to summon a demon so I just gave you a push. It’d be nice to have someone take on my work.” 

“I’m sorry what.”

Morgana looked at him. “You heard me. I need a successor to take down the king and his lackeys. I heard you talking to that demon about what you wanted. That bald bastard got you too huh.”

Akira nodded. “You have good intuition. I want to make him pay for what he did to me and to other people. What did he do to you though?”

Scowling, Morgana replied, “It’s a long story. Are you with me?” 

Suspicious. “A few more questions. Was there another person you asked this to?”

The cat waved his paw. “Yeah. We had a disagreement and he went to do things his way. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet him. Or not. I don’t care.” 

Very suspicious. “Ooookay. What can you do for me? I mean, I’m all for rebellion but you’re a cat.”

“I can teach you lots of useful skills. How to pick locks, how to make tools that you’ll need, how to use your new demonic powers…”

“Wait what was that last part?” 

Morgana rolled his eyes. “How about a demonstration?” His blue eyes flashed yellow, and a strong gust of wind came out of nowhere and knocked Akira onto the floor. “This is how I’ve convinced everyone else that this place is haunted. You’ll probably have different powers from what I have, but at least I can show you how to use what you have. Seems more than fair to me, right? And this is the perfect place to practice too. Only weirdos like you would’ve come to this old place.”

Ouch. Well, he wasn’t wrong… “You drive a hard bargain. Let’s say I agree to this. What would be our first operation?”

“Seeking info. Finding a target. Then we infiltrate the target’s location and mess with things. Duh.”

Fair enough. “And this will help in rebelling… how?” 

Morgana sighed. “It pokes holes in those assholes’ security. Gets into their heads. Makes them feel they’re not as safe as they think they are. I quite like psychological warfare.”

“So you’re not killing anyone like this.” 

“Hell no! Even like this I still have some morals. Besides, if they die, then that’s that. We don’t need murder to sow chaos.” 

Oh that is mean. He likes it. “And I suppose you couldn’t do this by yourself because you’re a cat.”

“Pretty much. So, you in?” Morgana gazed at him expectantly. 

To be perfectly honest, Akira didn’t have much of a plan. It wouldn’t do to go about this without an idea of how to go about his own rebellion. The cat seems trustworthy enough, even with his own secrets. There were more questions he had but they can wait. He had to give an answer.

“Let’s do this. Pleasure doing business with you.” As partners are meant to do, they shook on it.

Akira would later note that shaking a cat’s paw was really fucking cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There probably won't be too much action yet. We're still in the beginning after all. But I hope you enjoy it anyways!


	4. Tutorial

“So, how are we doing this?” Akira asked as Morgana led him through the dilapidated mansion. There was a ballroom that was spacious enough to practice the art of demon usage that just needed a bit of cleaning, which the cat happily did with a tail-flick and a gust of wind.

“There are two ways to use demon powers. The first, as I showed you, is to channel them through your own body. I’m used to doing it this way since there’s less chance of someone realizing there is a demon user in the area, but it might take a toll on your body if you’re not used to it.”

“What kind of toll are we talking about here?” That wasn’t mentioned in the book.

“Nothing serious. Fatigue, headaches, hallucinations, premature aging, death…”

“That wasn’t mentioned in the book!”

Somehow Morgana shrugged. “Well, neither was giving a demon an old name of yours. As long as you don’t overreach with what you’re doing, you should be fine. And the more you practice, the more you can do. Simple right?”

Made just as much sense as everything else. “So, what’s the second way?”

“The second way is to have the demon temporarily leave your body to do its thing. This does leave the demon vulnerable to their weaknesses and one coming out just screams “DEMON USER HERE”, but it is far more powerful. I prefer to think of this as a last resort in case shit goes down hard. I’ll show you what it’s like though. Come on out Zorro!” A flash of blue fire covered Morgana momentarily, rising above him to reveal the demon he contracted with. Tall, very top-heavy, really skinny legs, a black mask, and a rapier in his right hand. It looked a bit like a caricature of what a human is like, but Akira elected to stay quiet. There was no doubt that Zorro could quite easily kill him as well, considering the power Morgana had just channeling him. 

“Hey there,” the demon spoke, his voice similar to Morgana’s but slightly deeper. 

“Hello,” Akira replied, to be polite. Then, something Morgana mentioned hit him. “Wait, demons have weaknesses?” 

“Yeah, they do,” Morgana answered as Zorro went back to his body. “That’s part of why demons prefer being inside a person. That person protects them from their natural weaknesses. You probably won’t need to worry about it too much though.”

“Right…” Akira pondered. “You talk to your demon often? Arsene’s been pretty quiet since making the contract with me.” 

Morgana did his cat shrug. “It’s the same as talking to yourself in your head, except someone else answers. Plus you’re still getting used to this so he’s probably just being polite in not blasting your head with his commentary.” 

“Oh. Thanks Arsene.”

_ “No problem, friend.”  _ Arsene replied. Woah, that needed some getting used to.

Morgana cleared his throat. “You wanna get started? Then let’s start. I have no idea what Arsene can do, so just do something small. Ask him for help if you’re not sure.” He sat and watched, tail swishing in anticipation. 

“Right… Arsene? You ready to do… something? Please don’t kill me.” 

“ _ Of course. I am quite invested in your well-being after all. My abilities lie in darkness and subterfuge. Like, say, snuffing out all the light in a room. Want to try it? Just visualize what you want and I’ll supply the power.”  _

“Of course.” Concentrating, Akira thought of smoke bombs. Specifically, the time he found one and set it off during his parent’s important business meeting. In his defense, it sounded like they were going to get him  _ married _ . To an idiot. Yeah, he’d rather pass.

_ “Absolutely incredible. Look at your hand.”  _ Arsene is the type to be easily amused, Akira thought. Still, Akira looked and found he was holding a smokey, black orb in his palm. Morgana looked almost impressed for a cat. 

“Not bad. For your first time anyways.” Why does he need to sound so condescending?

“That’s not all I got.” Akira was very glad Arsene feeds his need to be an overdramatic bitch because he slammed that orb down, spreading the smoke and choking the room in pure darkness. Akira found that despite knowing the room is pitch black, he could see just fine. Morgana, not so much.

“Woah. Okay, this is incredibly useful. How long does this last though? I’d like to see my paws again.”

That was a good question.

_ “About 5 minutes. It’s enough to hide or make a quick getaway.”  _

“Huh. Okay.” Akira repeated the information to Morgana.

“Cool cool. Let me just… find you then. Hang on. Nice thing about being a cat is that they have better senses of hearing. I miss seeing red though.” 

Akira watched as Morgana listened (his ears twitching so cutely!) to his breathing and walked towards him. And then climbed up his leg, being careful not to dig his claws in too deeply in Akira’s flesh. It took him a bit, but Morgana finally settled on Akira’s shoulder.

“This’ll do,” Morgana smugly proclaimed. “Now let’s get outta here. You got the basics so easily, I don’t need to keep you here.” 

“Where are we going then?” 

“Do you seriously think you can make a living just by being a thief and psychological warrior? You need a place to stay that’s not here and a job so you can, you know eat. We’re only stealing from assholes, so stealing food is a no go.” That made sense. Unless you’re stealing food from assholes but Akira wasn’t going to argue with semantics. “We can make this our hideout and where we keep the stuff we steal, but do you know a place that’s a bit more habitable?” 

“There was a tavern my parents mentioned going to from time to time if they needed information. Leblanc or something like that?” 

“Sounds fancy, but it’ll do. Maybe you’ll get lucky and get a job there too.” 

“Here’s hoping.” With the cat on his shoulder, demon in his soul, and knowledge he didn’t expect to have to learn, Akira set out back to the village, not knowing what would lie ahead of him.   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is more exposition courtesy of our favorite tutorial cat. I hope you enjoyed it!


	5. Job Interview

Contrary to its fancy-sounding name, the tavern known as Leblanc was actually a very cozy, quiet place, though a bit dusty. The quietness may stem from the fact that not many other people were there, but there was a sense of ease throughout the tavern thanks to the warm light of the sunset. In the back were two staircases, one going up and the other going down. Manning the bar area was a middle-aged man, balding slightly but his killer goatee made up for it in spades. He looked up from the cup he was wiping down and gave Akira a raised eyebrow. Well to be fair, Akira did look younger than 20 and the laws of this country included age restrictions on alcohol. 

“Just play it cool, okay?” Morgana whispered from the bag Akira had found within that old mansion. It was big enough to hold him and potentially a few other items, but it definitely had the feel of functionality over style. Someday, Akira vowed, he’ll get something much better.

“May I help you?” asked the man, not amused by the awkward silence. 

Akira walked up to the man, who stayed on the other side of the bar. “Yes um, I’d like to find work here please?” So smooth. 

“Work. Did I put a sign up saying I needed some part-timer here?” Oh no, he’s prickly. “And you really want to work in some old place like this? What do you really want?”

Akira didn’t want to lie to this man completely. He figured telling the truth but not saying everything would be the way to go. “To be honest, I am homeless. I really do wish to work here, even for just food and board if that is alright. I’m willing to learn so please! Take me in!!” 

The man just stared at him. “You’re going to scare all my customers away with that. What are you, desperate?” 

“Um… Sir, I-”

“But you got passion. I don’t know why you want to work here of all places, but if it turns out you’re worth more than what you’re offering, then it’s good for me. Who are you anyways?”

“My name is Akira Kurusu.” He quite liked this new name he gave himself. For a spur of a moment decision, it was nice. “And what shall I call you, Sir?” 

“My name’s Sojiro Sakura, but you can call me Boss.” Fair enough. “Don’t tell me all you have is whatever’s in that bag and the clothes on your back.”

“It’s pretty much all I got,” he shrugged. “I know how to wash dishes though.”

“I’d hope you would. Only people who wouldn’t at your age are those shmancy noble types. You know what I mean? Anyways, we’ll put you to the test tonight.” Boss tossed Akira a key, labeled 101. (Akira refused to admit that he dropped it and had to pick it up.) “The lodge is upstairs. I don’t have anyone in there so you can stay there for the night. Put your stuff there and come back down. Oh, and before you go, let me make one thing very clear.”

“Yes, Boss?”

Boss gave Akira a cold glare. “Don’t EVER go downstairs. That’s where I live and I don’t want some random boy invading my privacy. You do that, and your ass is out. Understood?”

“Yes, Sir.” So the man lived in his own tavern? Ingenius. It must save on property taxes. “I’ll see you in a bit then.” 

Akira headed upstairs, keeping an eye on the people down below until the last second. Room 101 was right at the end of the hallway, with 110 and 109 being the closest. Not ideal for sneaking out in this direction, but oh well. The room itself was small, dusty, and had a window that only showed a back alley. With a bit of work, he found he could fit through and sneak outside that way if he wished. Jackpot. 

“Nice work Akira,” Morgana piped up, jumping out of the bag and onto the bed. “Oh wow this bed is… not great actually. Better than nothing I guess. Anyways, this Sakura guy is remarkably generous. And he didn’t even ask for details! I like him.” 

“Don’t be so loud he hears you though. I don’t know his pet policy. And get off the bed, you’ll get your hair all over it.” Cat problems. What can you do? “I’ll be heading down now so uh… don’t do anything crazy?” 

Morgana huffed at that. “Who do you take me for!? I’m a professional after all.” 

“Alright, see you.” With that, Akira headed down for his test of initiation in the subtle art of dishwashing.

… And as it turned out, being a maid in general. All he needed was the dress and he’d be all set. The reason why the tavern has been so dusty is that Boss is only one man and an aging one at that. Since it rarely got busy, it was fine but Boss knew an opportunity when he saw one.

“Tomorrow I’ll teach you how to clean the beds, but for now just sweep up as much as you can,” Boss told Akira. And sweep he did. For hours he cleaned the tavern until the only place that could have been left to sweep was the forbidden lower staircase and the rooms it hid. Exhausted, Akira hoped that this was enough to please Boss.

“Holy shit,” Boss muttered. “You actually swept the whole building?”

“Except for the downstairs area that you explicitly prohibited me from entering, Boss.”

“Touche, kid. I’ll be honest, I didn’t think you’d go this far. And you didn’t do a half-bad job either. Guess I gotta keep you here.” Fuck yeah! “As you can see, barely any customers here. Usually, we get guardsmen walking back from patrol at night and those guys are hell to deal with. Great source of news though. Wonder what kept them tonight?” Boss frowned. “Whatever it is, it can’t be good.”

“Perhaps they had to deal with a particularly troublesome criminal?”

“Probably that, yeah. Anyways, I expect you here in the mornings and evenings for dishwashing duty. Once a week you’ll dust the tavern, though not necessarily the whole place at once, sheesh that really surprised me, and every three days is laundry day. Afternoons that you don’t dust or do laundry, you get to have off. Not sure what you’d be doing but I figure I shouldn’t work you all the way down to the bone. Lucky you.”

“And my payment is food and board?” Akira asked, his stomach growling.

“Pretty much, though I’ll give you cash on the days dusting and laundry happen at the same time. I prefer the carrot over the stick if you understand that idiom. Did you eat at all today?”

Akira thought about it and realized that no, he hadn’t. A miracle he didn’t pass out from hunger. 

“Your face tells me all I need to know. Well, you’re lucky I got some curry leftover.” 

“Curry?”

“Never had any? It’s a dish from the East that I picked up a long time ago. Great stuff. It’s the star of the tavern and the real reason anyone would want to come here.” 

Akira had, in fact, heard of curry. He never tried it since the one time his parents had it, he was being punished with no dinner due to his pranks. “Who taught you how to make it?” Akira couldn’t help but be curious.

“A good friend of mine,” Boss curtly replied, heating the curry up. Touchy subject it seemed like. 

“Sorry, I was just curious.” The smell of the curry was definitely nothing like Akira had smelt before. His parents got cheated.

Boss gave him a look. “Just know that curiosity killed the cat. And you don’t want to be killed, right?” He plated the curry and set it in front of Akira.

“No, Sir. Thank you for the meal.” Boss couldn’t say Akira wasn’t polite at least. Akira tried a bite of the curry. And then another. “Oh my god this is the best thing I’ve ever had in my life.”

“Don’t talk while chewing. You’ll choke and I’d have to deal with that.” 

Akira decided to stay quiet and enjoy the meal. The intricacies of the spice working together to create a harmony of flavors certainly helped with that. 

“Wait, are you actually crying? What the hell happened to you?”

Oh so he was. He swallowed. “I think I’m just moved by your incredible skills.”

Boss raised an eyebrow. “You don’t say. Well, clean up after yourself before you go to bed. We got a lot of work tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Boss!” It seemed as though life was finally on his side. It’d be hard work, what with balancing what Morgana wanted with his rebellion and this simple life just to survive, but Akira was never one to back down from a challenge.

Especially when a few days later, it was announced that William Kidd, also known as Captain Skull amongst the merchants and seamen, was captured and scheduled for execution at dawn.   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it too cliche to put in a cliff hanger? Probably if it keeps happening. Thanks for reading!


	6. Execution

Of all the ways William expected to die in his line of work, execution was certainly up there, under drowning and a fight gone horribly wrong. He did not expect, however, for the events leading up to the execution to go as it did. His own crew, promised with amnesty and wealth beyond what he could give them, handed him over to the authorities soon after that boy, Akira, had left them. 

It would’ve been bad enough if they left it at that, but no. The captain of the guard just  _ had  _ to make sure he couldn’t make a run for it, breaking his left leg and forcing him to walk on it anyways. “You’re gonna die anyway, no point in being gentle with you!” That damned smug bastard, with that irritating laugh. He made sure to get his name, Suguru Kamoshida. When he dies, he is going to haunt the shit out of that bastard.

Which led to today. Standing in the town square, noose around his neck. Not many people showed up it seems like, despite his infamy. Maybe the normal people were scared he’d curse them? He was just glad his mother wasn’t in this village to see him like this. Just a few brave souls (bless them), his former crew (fuck them), the guards (fuck them), that bastard Kamoshida (fuck him especially), and the hooded executioner with a hunched back. Seriously, William couldn’t even see his face. Probably so he wouldn’t have a grudge on the guy. Not that he would, the dude was just doing his job, as terrible as it was.

As the bastard was going on and on about justice finally being served, William whispered to the executioner, “Does he always do that? The posturing thing?” The executioner just shrugged. The quiet type huh. At least he… she? They’re friendly. “How long is he gonna go on for?” Another shrug, but also a hand motion for him to keep it down. Fair enough. 

Kamoshida finally turned to the former pirate captain. “Do you have any last words? Make your peace with God while you still have breath.” William opted to just spit in his face. Right in the eye, nice. 

Kamoshida, filled with rage, sputtered and motioned for the executioner to throw down the lever and release the trap door under the criminal’s feet. 

William had to admit he was terrified. He didn’t want to die like this. He wanted to eventually settle down someday, maybe have a wife or husband. But he was a proud pirate captain. He wouldn’t cry. He would die with dignity if he had to. 

That was what he was thinking before all of a sudden he couldn’t see. Judging by the startled cries of the guards and Kamoshida, it seems the world had gone dark for everyone. However, he could feel someone slipping the rope off his neck and carrying him somewhere (bridal style, this guy’s got class) with a grunt. Was someone seriously rescuing him? 

“Fucking hell you’re heavy.” muttered his mysterious savior. Wait that voice sounded familiar…

And so it was that the two escaped into the woods and William could finally see the person who carried him this far from the village. Or, he would if the guy wasn’t still hooded.

“Aren’t you the executioner? Why did you save me?” He was so confused. 

The executioner said nothing and continued running and carrying the man in the direction of an old mansion, the same one William had told Akira about before. Oh, they were going there, okay. It took a while, but they made it inside safely and the executioner gently placed William down before collapsing. “Holy… fucking shit. I can’t believe that worked.” He knew that voice…

“Akira? Is that really you!?”

“Hell yeah it is, give me a moment,” Akira replied, catching his breath and taking off the huge hood. Oh god not only was Akira carrying him, he also had a black cat on his shoulder. That explained the hunchback appearance. 

Now that things were calming down, the pain in his broken leg came back. “Oh fuck, shit, I don’t suppose you have something to keep my leg together so that I don’t die from something as stupid as this right?” 

Akira frowned. “I don’t know if-” he was cut off by the cat meowing. Akira’s eyes widened. “Wait, he can do that?” The cat nodded. 

“Akira, dude, are you talking to a cat? And is that cat answering back?” The cat looked unamused but that was a default expression for a cat anyway, right?

“Yes and yes. This is Morgana, and he can help you but… it’s going to be really, really weird.”

“How is a cat gonna help me?” 

“How okay are you with losing your leg?” Holy shit his pal’s insane. “Ah, bad wording, sorry. What I mean is, how okay are you with getting it replaced?” 

“With a prosthetic? Depends on how good it is.” 

The cat meowed and Akira translated. “As good as your real leg I guess? Though apparently, it’s going to hurt like a bitch so… hang on.” Akira ripped the cloth of the hood and made it into a ball. Oh.

“Wait wait wait, what is the cat going to do to me?” 

In a flash of blue fire, something came out from the cat’s body. 

“OH SHIT.” A demon. A demon straight up came out of the cat’s body. That demon has a sharp sword. “Are you saying that this demon is going to cut off my leg and give me a new one?”

“Pretty much,” Akira replied bluntly, though even he didn’t seem to believe it. “Apparently thanks to the prior treatment of it, it’s really fucked up and would take too long to recover normally so… we’re cheating basically.”

Thinking about it, a hospital wouldn’t work because now he’s really wanted and they would definitely hand him over. “Is this the only option I have?” 

The cat meowed again and Akira replied, “Realistically with our abilities and location, yup. Sorry about that.” 

“Dude, you’re saving my life, I can’t complain. Just give me the gag.”

“Kinky.”

William flipped him off before biting the gag and nodding to say he was ready.

He was so not ready when the demon cut his leg off. Even muffled, he screamed and cried and was in so much pain oh fuck.

“It’s okay, you’re doing great. Screaming helps deal with pain apparently. It’s going to get better, hang in there.” Akira just murmured comforting words to him, which helped a lot actually. He could see the demon take the leg and… absorb it? Weird. He was starting to pass out when he felt a warmth where his leg once was. Sure enough, a new leg was forming there, silvery and unnatural, but otherwise felt real. Damn the cat was right. 

But all of this was too much to process at once, and once the pain died down a little and William felt sure that Akira would keep him safe, he opted to pass out to deal with this later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't intend for too much shipping but this kinda screamed of Pegoryu did it? ^u^ I hope you enjoyed it!


	7. Disguise

After the pirate captain passed out, probably from a combination of shock and pain, Akira breathed a sigh of relief. “Holy fucking shit, how did we pull that off again?”

“You’re the one who planned most of it! Hope the real executioner doesn’t hold a grudge against us,” replied Morgana, recalling how Akira had thrown him at the poor man, distracting him long enough for Akira to knock him out, steal his clothes, and tie him up. 

“Sorry again for throwing you.” 

“Whatever. So… think he’d be a good member of our team? This guy I mean.” Morgana nodded towards the captain. “I mean, we did just save his life and give him an improved leg. He kinda owes us, don’t you think?”

Akira frowned. “Technically I owed him first. It’s his decision what he wants to do from now on… Plus, would he really want to summon a demon?” He liked Arsene a lot, even though it was weird to refer to him by his former name, but in William’s case… 

Morgana’s tail swished around. “You never know until you ask.” Fair enough.

It took a few good hours for the man to wake up, bleary-eyed and groaning. “Ugh… Either I need to lay off the drinks or all of that really just happened and I need one.” William checked his leg. “... Yup, I need a drink.”

“Sorry, we don’t have any alcohol here. You feeling okay?” Akira purposefully leaned against one of the walls and tossed William a bottle of water. 

“I mean, I’m not dead or dying of sepsis so I’ll take it. Did the cat really summon a demon? And… did you contract with one too? I didn’t expect you to go so far.” 

Akira shrugged. “I didn’t have anything to lose. So, what exactly are you going to do now?” In truth, Akira didn’t want to be the only one doing this with a talking ex-human cat being, but it’s an incredibly hard sell.

William frowned. “Well the first thing I need to do is check on my mother, but she lives in the next town over. After that… Well, we’ll see I guess.” So he still had family he cared for too...

“You’re not planning on going by yourself, are you? The guards and any bounty hunter wanting a bit of cash will be looking for your head,” Akira warned, not wanting his daring rescue to be for nothing. 

“I’m a pirate. I know a thing or two about keeping out of trouble. Usually,” the ex-pirate scowled. “But I do need a disguise, that is true. What to do…” 

Morgana chirped. “I did keep some hair dye in the bathroom just in case. It’s good enough, right?” 

Akira translated for William. It wasn’t a bad idea but considering how expensive dye is… 

“Is that really okay? Like, why are you doing so much for me?” Understandably, he was wary of all this kindness.

“Because you’re my friend and friends help each other. We can discuss more after you check on your mom. Morgana, where is your bathroom anyways?” 

Morgana chirped and led the way. The place may have been in disrepair but there were still signs that it was once a jewel of architecture. Not that Akira cared for such things and evidently neither did William.

The bathroom was surprisingly free of mold, and the bath still ran fine. Morgana pawed at the drawer, cursing his lack of thumbs to be able to open simple doors. Akira took pity and opened it for him. 

“Thanks. It should be in here… Here we go!” Morgana meowed before grabbing the bottle. 

“Why do you even have hair dye?”

“For disguise purposes. Duh. It only washes off with a special soap so I figured it’d be perfect for our friend here.” How rich was this cat before he became a cat?

“This won’t make my hair fall out or anything, will it?” William understandably asked. 

Morgana rolled his eyes. “I’d imagine it would if you used too much of it. But you’ll be fine I think.” Akira translated once again.

“Gee, thanks.” 

Akira quickly found that he had no idea how to dye someone else’s hair and the bottle did not come with instructions. “Morgana, how do you do this?” 

“Get his hair wet, lather a squirt of the dye into it, let it sit for a while, and then wash it again.” The little bastard just groomed himself.

“How long is a ‘while’?”

“When I did it, 30 minutes was enough. Crazy right?” 

It was. “Dye works that quickly??” 

“It was an experimental dye that some scientist lady was selling a long time ago. She was a bit nuts but her shit worked so I’ll take it.” 

“I would not be surprised if there was some magic involved in this thing either.”

William coughed to interrupt their conversation. “So… this is magic dye and it’s gonna work quickly. Got it.” 

Not even close but Akira can excuse it. “Sorry about that mate. Let’s just get your makeover started.” 

Upon squirting the dye onto his hand, Arsene spoke up in Akira’s mind.  _ “I don’t know about magic, but something demonic was involved with the creation of this dye. I want to meet this ‘scientist’ lady someday.” _

_ “Maybe after we beat up the pope,”  _ Akira snarked back in his mind. 

_ “That’s a fun idea.”  _ Was it really? 

Thirty minutes later and William was checking out his newly blond hair in a cracked mirror. “Holy shit I don’t think anyone’s going to recognize me like this!”

“Especially since they won’t expect you to be able to even access any kind of hair dye, let alone a weird one like this.” Akira did not mention that now his friend looked like one of the people from his dream exactly. He hadn’t met any of the other people after all. “How long does it take to get to your mother’s house anyway?” 

William thought. “I think from this place to there… it’ll take about 5 hours to get there and back.” 

Shit. “And you have to check on her as soon as possible.”

“Ideally.” 

Fuck. With his obligations to Boss, his hands are tied. 

“I could go with him, you know,” Morgana chirped, sensing Akira’s distress. “You keep making sure you have a safe place to stay so you don’t have to live in this dump and keep our information source. I’ll keep him out of trouble.”

“You sure you want to do that? You know he doesn’t understand you.” 

“Well, true. But I have a feeling that’ll change when we get there.” His voice was grim, and Akira realized what Morgana meant. 

“But that’s…” 

“There’s still the chance that things will be okay, but if not, then it would be wrong to not give your friend a chance for vengeance, right?”

This is so shady. It almost felt like manipulation. After all, one would normally only contract with a demon if they felt they had nothing to lose, and William still had his mother.

“What are you two talking about?” William asked, clearly worried about the one-sided conversation that the cat he couldn’t understand was leading.

“Just let him have the book for now and he can decide whether he wants to do it or not when the time comes.” Morgana did his equivalent of a shrug.

Sigh. It seems too much like there’s only the illusion of choice, but they do need a bigger group. “Captain-”

“I’m not a captain anymore. Shit, maybe I should make up a new name for myself.”

“Okay, buddy. We have a book that tells you how to summon demons. Morgana wants you to hold on to it while you go to your mother’s house for… some reason. But you don’t have to if you don’t want to, okay?” 

The man thought about it. “I mean, the punishment for owning something like that is the same as being a pirate so I don’t mind. But why though?” 

“It was the cat’s idea, not mine.” 

“Okaaay. Also, you got any suggestions for a name? Like, where did yours come from?” 

“There’s this kingdom in the East my mother used to live in before she married my father and she taught me the language. As for you… How does Ryuji Sakamoto sound?” 

He only needed a second to ponder it. “That is so different from William Kidd. I like it! Hang on hang on… I am Ryuji Sakamoto!” He’s easily distracted and excitable, okay. How did he manage to become a captain?

“Great great now get the book and go!” Morgana hissed, impatient of their antics. 

Akira huffed. “Chill cat, I got it.” A moment later, book in hand, he gave it to the newly named Ryuji. “Just come back safe, okay? Morgana’s going with you since he is apparently an expert but just don’t do anything reckless. You need to stay alive.”

Ryuji grinned. “So long as the cat doesn’t plan on screwing me over, I’ll keep that promise. Plus, this leg he gave me is working out great, so I can just run the hell out of any trouble I think.”

“Very reassuring. Good luck.”

Ryuji and Morgana set off on their little adventure, and Akira couldn’t help but feel a pit growing in his stomach at the implication Morgana gave. He could only hope that he was wrong. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can finally call our boy Ryuji in the text! Took him long enough really. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	8. Suffering

It took a while to get used to the name Ryuji, which lead to a few close calls when the guards asked for his name and he nearly replied with his true name. The cat was surprisingly useful in providing a distraction and allowing the ex-pirate to fix his mistake with little to no suspicions raised. It allowed for a peaceful trip to his home village, where his mother lived. Not much conversation though, because how are you supposed to talk to a cat? Even if it somehow made a contract with a demon. 

That was another thing Ryuji had to get used to. Specifically, his new leg that replaced his lame, broken one. It worked just as well, if not better, as his real leg, and he certainly wouldn't complain, but it looked and felt extremely "off". Almost as though it didn't truly belong to him. Maybe it was just on loan from the demon.

There was also the book Akira gave him, the one all about summoning demons. He knew how to read, thanks to his mother, but the language in the book was something else. He took quick peeks at it when he was alone (save for the cat but who cares about the cat?) and was interested. Not enough to summon one though, he didn't feel ready to take that plunge yet. He was truly surprised when he learned Akira made a contract and gave up his old name to his demon. After all, to give a demon your name is to erase it from all humans who knew it. They may have vague memories of someone in your position, but you may as well have never existed to them. He was so glad he insisted on only knowing Akira's new name before he gave away his old one. Ryuji, on the other hand, didn't want his mother to forget him, she had already suffered enough from his shitbag of a father, the man who ruined his chances of living through honest means.

None of these thoughts mattered when Ryuji smelled smoke and saw charred remains of trees that once stood proud over their village, said to be guardian giants. Worry pitted itself in his stomach as he took off in a sprint, praying to the cruel gods that it was just the trees. Worry and fear turned to despair when he saw his village, his home, burnt to the ground, not a soul alive. He was too late. Far too late. There wasn't an ember left. 

He ran to his home. He begged for someone, anyone, to still be alive, to tell him who did this and why. Was it his fault? When he escaped the execution, was this the price of his freedom? 

The small hope he allowed himself to have was crushed in an instant when he saw the remains of his childhood home. Inside was a body destroyed by a fire so hot one couldn't recognize it normally. But Ryuji knew who it was on instinct.

He dropped to his knees. He was too late. He couldn't save her. He couldn't save  _ anyone _ . This was his punishment for living. He barely noticed the rain starting to fall, his own face wet with tears already. Everyone was gone. He was all alone. 

A single meow told him otherwise. The cat had followed Ryuji this far in despite the smell of death. He could tell in those big blue eyes that Morgana understood his pain all too well. 

If Kamoshida was to blame for this, then it was up to him to avenge his village. He slowly got up. 

"I guess you win, cat. Let's get out of the rain." 

Morgana chirped back. It was probably an affirmative. 

Near this village was a small cave, easily missed by those who didn't look carefully. Ryuji knew of it since childhood and was relieved to find that its secrecy was still intact. It was dry, empty, and had little lighting. The last part wasn't that great but Ryuji made do with a makeshift torch. 

Ryuji took out the book and began skimming it. He wanted a demon who could understand him. A demon who knew exactly how to raise the hell he needed to punish the man who destroyed everything, but he also needed one who could answer questions when he had them. Some demons were patient, others were not.

He finally found a demon that was close enough to what he needed. A demon that was quick as lightning, powers of the storm, once said to be a protector of the seas before falling from grace. Morgana also seemed to approve of his choice and cleared a spot for him to make the summoning circle. 

… Okay so it wasn't a perfect circle, but give him a break, it's not like he's used to this. It should work if it's close enough, right?

"Alright, here goes. Scourge of the sea, heed my call with the blood I give and the heart I offer, so that those who were lost can be avenged!" 

Silence. Maybe the circle was no good after all. Well shit. 

".... Sorry for the crappy circle?" 

KRABOOOOM.

Lightning struck the circle through the cave roof, blue and bold and Ryuji found himself scooting away faster than he ever scooted before to avoid getting electrocuted. He could feel the power radiating off the demon that revealed itself in the flash. A bow of a ship with a nasty grin, a cannon where his right arm should have been, and the hollow face of a skull with glowing yellow eyes. The demon wore Ryuji's uniform back when he was a proud captain and spoke in his voice, cool and collected. 

_ "Apology accepted. If the deal you offer is satisfactory, of course."  _

Ryuji somehow managed to not shit his pants and replied, "I'm sure we can figure something out. You know I want to avenge my mom and all the people who were killed here. But there was also something I wanted to ask…" 

_ "As long as it's not a stupid question, I'll answer it pro bono."  _ Demons can charge for answering questions? Mean. 

"Right, um. I know when a person gives their name to a demon, those who knew them by that name forget everything about them pretty much, right? Are… there any exceptions to that?" 

The demon thought for a moment.  _ "The only exception I can think of would be those who also contracted a demon. But that would be rare in this day and age."  _

"I know a guy who contracted a demon and gave up his name."

_ "Oh, well, good for you. Are you considering giving up your name to me? You know of the consequences."  _

"I am, and there is no one alive that I want to remember me. Except for the aforementioned guy with the demon. He's cool."

_ "I see. Then what is the name you will bequeath unto me?" _

There was a small hint of hesitation. Ryuji knew that in this instant, there would be no going back. "Captain William Kidd, or Captain Kidd for short. The scourge of the seven seas."

_ "Flattery won't get you anywhere, but nice. Your fate is now sealed. I am thou, and thou art I. There is no turning back… The skull of your rebellion shall now forever be ours!"  _ With his left hand, Kidd reached inside Ryuji's heart and sent wave after wave of lightning shocks through his whole body. 

Ryuji could do nothing but scream until he collapsed, the cat watching expectantly for it to end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I feel bad for making our boy suffer? A bit... but not enough to not put him through hell haha.


	9. Reservation

Akira was worried. He couldn’t help but worry even as his job did its best to distract him. How can he not when Ryuji (gotta do his best to keep that straight and not slip up) was likely going to find out just what he lost? Would he be blamed for saving his life? 

Thankfully, someone walked in at that moment to take him out of his dark thoughts; a woman with long, golden hair, bright blue eyes, and a gorgeous crimson dress, one befitting a dancer. With a black rose pin and black lace, this lady hit all of his aesthetics at once. 

“Excuse me, is the owner here?” asked the woman. “I was wondering if I could set up a reservation here for a party.” 

“Boss had to go do something downstairs, but I can take a message,” Akira replied. Wait did this place even do reservations? “What name is the reservation under?” 

The woman looked surprised. “You haven’t heard of me?”

“I’m new in town.”

“Oh, well!” The woman chuckled, as if she found his ignorance amusing. She may as well have. “My name is Carmen Bizet. I’m a dancer down at the local theater. I suppose you haven’t had the chance to see a performance there?” 

That explains the outfit. “Nope, been too busy trying to not get fired and kicked out.”

“Oh, I completely understand.” Carmen nodded, and Akira could tell that she meant it. “One little slip-up and your whole life could just shatter, right?”

“Sums it up. And it’s quite hard to pick up all the pieces.”

“Indeed. Just like that pirate, what was his name?” Carmen frowned. “Strange, I can’t think of his name but he was to be executed, wasn’t he? I wonder how he managed to spirit away? Good for him though.” 

She couldn’t remember his name? Did Ryuji actually contract with a demon then? But he wouldn’t have remembered his real name, right? 

_ “No, other people who contracted with demons are immune to the effects.”  _ Huh. Thanks Arsene.

“I’m not quite sure myself. I heard the guards are hard at work trying to find him though.”

“Oh dear,” Carmen gasped. “Well, I do hope everything turns out alright.”

"Same." 

It was around that moment Boss finally came up from downstairs. “Oh, Miss Bizet. Haven’t seen you around in a while. What’s the occasion?” 

“It’s a celebration actually. My best friend, Shiho, she managed to fulfill her dream of becoming part of the cavalry.” Oh  _ damn _ that is impressive. “I want to reserve a table here for us and her friends because that is absolutely worth a party, no?”

“Knowing how difficult it is to be one of those, that is worth a party,” Boss agreed. “She has my congratulations. Time and date?”

“We were thinking tomorrow at 7, if that’s alright.” Carmen, it seemed, had a habit of twirling her hair with her finger in casual conversation, when she’s not thinking so heavily on things.

“Sure. We won’t be busy, right, boy?” Boss asked Akira, knowing full well what the answer will be.

“Of course. We’ll be glad to see you then.”

The cavalry huh? Those are technically a sect of the guards but they have a more positive PR due to the stricter guidelines the members have to follow as well as the general rarity of actual well-trained horses. Still, if Kamoshida is the captain of the guards… Akira would have to reserve his judgment for when he actually meets this Shiho.

Carmen smiled anyways, ignorant of Akira’s inner monologue. “It’s a date then. Thank you very much!” Her business concluded, she walked away and out of the tavern, nearly bumping into a bedraggled, familiar, blond man. “Oh, pardon me,” she excused herself, walking off without another note.

“Hot damn you look like you’ve been through a storm,” Akira stated to Ryuji, who just sat at the bar and face planted. 

“Mmmrph,” was Ryuji’s reply. Honestly, Akira could relate.

Boss, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow. “Is… he a friend of yours?”

“Yes sir. His name’s Ryuji Sakamoto.”

Ryuji raised his head, chin still on the counter. “And right now, I could really use some food. I’ll pay up and everything.”

“As opposed to you not paying up,” Boss sighed. “Alright. I’ll be back. Don’t do anything stupid, you hear?” He walked off to make his signature dish, and Akira sighed in relief.

“Are you really okay though?” Akira asked. “You didn’t do anything… crazy, did you?”

“If by crazy you mean I’m in the same position as you…” Ryuji replied mindfully, “Then I might have done something a little crazy, yeah.” 

Oh shit. “So… I’m guessing you need a place to stay or something huh.”

“I only have money for some food dude, and I was lucky enough to even get that. I’m literally going to have to rough it tonight and up until I get a constant source of income.”

“Is that so?” said Boss out of nowhere, a plate of curry in both of his hands. He set one plate in front of Ryuji and one in front of Akira. “You know, I could use a guy to help with food deliveries around here. Haven’t asked Kurusu for that because I feel like he’d snap like a twig and I don’t want a broken man in my tavern.” Ouch. Maybe Akira should work out more.

_ “You probably should.”  _ Thanks Arsene, that comment was really necessary.

“For real?” Ryuji’s eyes lit up hopefully.

“Yeah. Room and board, same as this kid. Food delivery comes around 3 times a week, though I order more when there’s a holiday coming up. I also expect you to help out with whatever else needs to be done, but it’s not a bad deal, is it?”

“Not at all, Boss! When do we start?” Wow Ryuji adapted really quickly. Or was he just faking it for now? Akira couldn’t tell but he could have that particular discussion later, when Sojiro couldn’t eavesdrop on them. 

At least Ryuji still had the will to eat. Quite ravenously at that. It reminded Akira that he should eat too. It is a blessing that this curry is so damn good. So good, in fact, Ryuji started crying too.

“H-Hey! Are all you kids going to cry like this just eating?” Evidently, Sojiro was taken off guard by how good his cooking was. It was difficult to describe, Akira found, but something about the food made him feel… safe? Was that the word he was looking for? No, it was something else…

“Sorry, but this is so good!” Ryuji exclaimed, wiping his tears away. “It’s like when my mom cooked for me…” He trailed off, frowning. “I… really wish I could have talked to her more.” 

Sojiro frowned. “I understand. Take as much time as you need. I’ll be heading downstairs for the night, so try not to make too much noise, alright? Oh, and you’ll need this key.” Sojiro tossed a key to room 102 to Ryuji. “Try to get up early tomorrow, food delivery is always a pain but it needs to be done.” 

Ryuji caught the keys easily. “Got it, bossman! Thanks!” 

With a nod and a hint of a chuckle, Bossman went downstairs.

“How come he was so friendly with you?” asked Akira, surprised by Sojiro’s considerably warmer demeanor towards Ryuji.

“I dunno, maybe you warmed him up for me? Thanks for that by the way.” Ryuji patted Akira on the back. “Guess we’re neighbors now huh? Sweet.”

Was Ryuji really doing okay? He had to ask. “Listen. I… don’t know what you found exactly, but… you’re not actually okay, are you.”

There was silence in the near-empty tavern, as Ryuji’s smile faded once again. “... No, I’m not. If only I had gotten there earlier… or if I didn’t escape from the execution, then maybe…”

“I am so sorry.”

“Don’t be! You saved my life, and as much as it hurts now, I know that I won’t regret what I did after that.” He gave a very serious look. “I’m like you now, and Morgana. Two guys and a cat against this cruel world. I, for one, personally want to see Kamoshida knees on the ground  _ begging  _ for forgiveness.” He chuckled darkly. “And after him, every single bastard who thinks they can tread on those weaker than they are will have to keep half-awake every night for the rest of their life, however short it is.”

“Hear hear,” meowed Morgana, who only now decided to pop up from Ryuji’s large bag. “To avenge those who didn’t deserve their fates and for our own, personal revenge, we are going to raise Hell itself if we have to.” 

“That is a promise,” Akira agreed. “No matter how long it takes, we will bring those who think they’re above justice down to our level.”

He didn't mention the meeting with Carmen Bizet, nor how she was one of those who created the sea of fire by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Great to have Ann finally show up after what feels like forever! Just... everyone else to go! Also the name Bizet came from the French composer who wrote the opera Carmen in the first place! Fun facts! Hope you liked this chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know how you like it and if there's anything I can improve on!


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